Fattigman Food

FATTIGMAN COOKIES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Cream together eggs, sugar, and brandy, if using.
• Stir in melted butter.
• Gently fold whipped cream into batter.
• Sift together flour, cardamom, baking powder, and salt.
• With a light hand, mix dry ingredients into batter to form a soft dough. You want to avoid handling dough too much. Otherwise, cookies will end up tough.
• Chill dough, covered, for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Roll chilled dough out on a floured board to a thickness of 1/8 inch.
• Using a fattigman cutter or a pastry cutter, cut dough into diamond shapes about 1 1/4-inch wide by 3 1/2 inches long. If you're using a pastry cutter, cut dough first into 1 1/4-inch strips and then cut across these diagonally to form diamonds.
• Use a knife to cut a 1/2-inch slash in the middle of each diamond.
• Twist one corner of each diamond up through center slash to make a knot.
• Heat 2 inches of oil in the bottom of a heavy pot to 375 F.
• Drop in pastry knots and fry until golden brown, turning occasionally.
• Remove and drain on paper towels.
• Sprinkle cookies with vanilla sugar or confectioners' sugar and serve immediately.

FATTIGMANS BAKKELSE (NORWEGIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES)

Steps:

• Beat egg yolks, sugar and salt in a large bowl until thickened.
• Beat in cognac & heavy cream.
• Stir in flour & cardamom until dough forms. Knead dough on floured work surface. Cover & chill 4-8 hours.
• Heat vegetable oil in deep fryer to 365 degrees. Roll dough out on floured work surface. Do this a little at a time and VERY thinly.
• Cut dough into strips, then into diamonds 2x4".
• Cut vertical slit in middle of each diamond and "thread" one end through slit.
• Fry cookies a few at a time. Flip as they rise to surface and cook until golden and lightly puffed.
• Drain on paper towels & let cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar & serve.

FATTIGMANN I

Steps:

• Beat egg yolks thick with sugar.
• Whip cream stiff, and fold in together with brandy.
• Work well, and gradually add flour with cardamom, or just enough flour to make the dough right for handling.
• Leave in a cool place or in the refridgerator overnight.
• It really requires tow persons to do this --one for rolling and cutting and the other for the cooking.
• The dough should be rolled out in a cold room, handling only a small lump at a time.
• With cookie wheel, cut strips on the bias of the dough, from right side upwards from left side downwards, to make small diamond-shaped cookies.
• Loosen them with spatula, and in the middle of each diamond, make a small slit with cookie wheel.
• Thread one end of diamond carefully through slit.
• Place cookies on lightly floured cookie sheets, and keep in a cold place until ready for cooking.
• Then cookies are dropped in boiling lard or oil, until golden brown, and turned.
• Then remove witha long steel knitting needle.
• Let some of the grease drop off, and place on absorbent paper until cooled.
• Store in air-tight container.

FATTIGMANN

Steps:

• Beat together egg yolks and salt until thick and light. Beat in light cream, sugar and butter. Sift together flour and nutmeg. Add to egg yolk mixture with lemon rind. Mix well, then chill 1 hour.
• Roll out 1/4 of the dough at a time, keeping the remaining dough chilled. Roll 1/16 inch thick. Cut in 1 1/2-inch wide strips. Cut diagonally at 4-inch intervals. Make 1 inch slit lengthwise in center of each piece. Slip one end through the slit. Fry a few at a time in deep fat (350 degrees F) for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden. Remove from fat with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Store in an airtight container.

TRADITIONAL NORWEGEN COOKIES - FATTIGMANN (84)

Steps:

• Beat egg yolks with sugar until thick and yellow. Add cream, and flour mixed with baking powder and cinnamon or cardamom. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites and add more flour, enough to make a pliable dough.
• Chill. Roll out dough as thin as possible and cut into diamond shapes with knife or fluted pastry wheel. Make a slit in center of each diamond and pull the tip end of diamond through slit as far as it will go.
• Drop into hot oil or shortening (350 F). Fry like doughnuts, but only until very lightly browned. They cook almost as fast as they are put into the hot shortening, so they must be turned and taken out quickly. Drain on paper and sprinkle with sugar.

FATTIGMAN

Steps:

• Beat together egg yolks and sugar.
• Whisk in cream.
• Stir in cognac and spices.
• Beat egg white until it's stiff and carefully stir into other ingredients.
• Mix in a little more than half of the flour.
• Let dough stand, covered and in a cool place, overnight.
• Use the remaining flour (as little as possible) for rolling out the dough; the less flour you use, the more tender the fattigman will be.
• Roll the dough out a little at a time and as thinly as possible.
• Use a fattigmann cutter to cut out diamond shapes.
• Make a small diagonal cut in the center of each diamond, and "thread" one point of the diamond through the cut.
• Heat lard to 350º F.
• Fry fattigman until golden brown.
• You must flip the fattigman to brown both sides.
• A chop sticks works great for this.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Best when 2 people work on these, one cutting/flipping and the other flipping in the hot oil.

FATTIGMAN (NORWEGIAN COOKIES)

Steps:

• 1. Beat egg yolks and salt until thick and light in color. Add in cream, sugar and butter. Mix well.
• 2. Add flour and cardamom to egg mixture. Mix well. Chill one hour.
• 3. Roll out 1/4 of the dough at a time, keeping the rest of the dough in the refrigerator. Roll a 1/16 inch thick rectangle. Using a fattigman cutter or a pastry cutter cut in 1 1/2-inch wide strips then cut diagonally at 4-inch intervals (making diamonds). Cut a 1 inch slit lengthwise in center of each piece. Slip one end of the diamond through the cut and pull through gently.
• 4. Fry a few at a time in hot oil (350*) for 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.